Hey guys, apologies for the long-winded title. Have just finished writing a chapter and have emailed it to my supervisor. It will probably be a week or so before he gets the chance to read it, after which we will have to meet up to discuss the next step.

What do i do until then? I need to speak to him before i start thinking about other chapters/themes as i'm having a few problems with this. I feel so guilty just sitting around....is it common to wait arund like this?

Thanks

i think what's freaking you out is the fact that you are looking at the whole thing- chapters, corrections etc. Break it down, do it section by section. Don't look at the thesis as a whole as it will just make you feel worse. And speaking from experience, panic attacks subside, you never stay in the same state. So don't worry it'll all get done x

sqiggles- i know exactly how you feel, i'm in the exact same boat.:-(

i am not fond of London- hate it in fact, far too busy for my liking. But I think it is mostly because i'm alone- if you socialise and have friends around you then the 'overworked and miserable' people can be tolerated i think. Expensive, yes it is but if you make up a budget etc then its ok. The people i find are unfriendly and short tempered as compared to other parts of the UK- which is understandable given that it is the capital but still it isn't pleasant.

But everyone is different and i'm sure you will be ok there- as long as you dont make the mistake of isolating yourself from other people. Being alone in a huge place like London, where people are constantly in a rush, can be very depressing.

hey jk just sent you a private message

The youth hostel near the Library does have lockers and stuff but you are right, it's not exactly going to be comfortable. There are B&Bs around kings cross for around £32 a night, which is quite reasonable.

Hi guys I posted a similar thread a few months back asking for you advice on London accommodation- your suggestions were helpful and i ended up staying in LSE uni halls over the summer. But they are not available during term time so now i'm trying to look for other places. I will be going back and forth between London (British Library) and Glasgow- i will probably have to stay i London 3/4 nights a week (i know, it would be better to just move there permanently but that's not n option at the moment)

I wanted to ask, other than B&Bs, are youth hostels any good? by that i mean are they safe, clean. As you've probably guessed i am on the tightest budget imaginable! In particular i was thinking about a youth hostel that is across the road from the British Library, which is ideal.

Thanks.

spacey, just wondering, what year are you in?

thanks guys, your tips and suggestions are so useful i've written them down! i feel much much better after having read your replies. One more question- did you find your secondary texts through networking with other academics or just through searching library catalogues?

question to history/arts students (or any student who can help!)- how do you handle primary and secondary material effectively. i am running back and forth between both types of material and and just dont think im doing it right. during my undergrad and masters, both in history, it was a simple case of reading the secondary texts written by the experts and then applying their theories to historical material.

but at phd level as you all know this is virtually impossible- mainly because i have to develop my own theory and select myself the secondary texts which back up my view. i would be interested to hear about the research and study techniques of those of you who are in a similar field/area of research (although any student's tips and suggestions are most welcome)

joyce, i know where you are coming from. If someone had a look at all the notes i have taken they would think i could write a full chapter or two, but much of it is not so significant- i managed to condense all that info into a 2200 summary which i sent to my sup last night...my problem is that i always think that if i just take loads of notes, even if they are f no use, then it's ok cos i'm still 'working' and doing something at least- talk about a false sense of insecurity!

i sent my sup a 2000 word summary yesterday and i just felt to so dumb, couldn't think of the right words or sentences..i just became so paranoid about it--and kept on thinking- 'cant send this' hes going to think i'm so stupid'

hey guys, wrote a 2300 word summary and have emailed it to my supervisor...as soon as i emailed it i received immdiately an automated reply telling me he is on leave until august 11....just my luck....oh well, its only a week, at least it did not say august 11 2009- now that would be something!!

hey fellow sufferers,

am just writing up a very small summary to my supervisor which i want to email today definitely...currently at 700 words, was originally just gonna email him giving him an update but the email was slowly turning into an essay so thought a seperate summary would be better....even if i am up all night i'm gonna send something as i'm just fed up with it

thanks starlight, thats a really good idea, gonna try and do that now and get it finished today as well